Dreamland
by FuckMePumps
Summary: [AU, ZukoXKatara] Who knew that the banished Fire prince and the Water Tribe peasant girl had already met, long before they did? No one would have known, for it was in a place where only the deepest, the darkest, of secrets and fantasies are revealed...
1. Lullaby

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender. And the lyrics aren't mine either.

**A/N: **I came up with this plot a long time ago, but only just recently had enough on me to start writing it. And because of some parts, this will be deemed an AU. And also, take note that the chapters take place two years after the previous one, and do remember that they have the same age gap. Anyway, enjoy.

-

**_Hush, little baby, don't say a word  
Mama's gonna buy you a mockingbird  
If that mockingbird don't sing  
Mama's gonna buy you a diamond ring…_**

The woman, dressed in the sky-colored clothing of the Water Tribe, hummed as she rocked the child in her arms. The babe, almost four years old, had the brown hair of her father and the crystal blue eyes of her mother, and both their skins. She yawned, her innocence reflected in every gesture, and caught a lock of the woman's hair in her chubby fingers, absently playing with it as she went forth into sleep.

The woman bowed her head to whisper in her ear, "Good night, my dearest Katara…"

Katara was already in the midst of a dream by then, and had barely heard her mother's words.

_The little girl laughed gaily as she threw snowballs at the wonderful creatures in the land of her own imagination. If had been another little girl in another world, in another place, she would have chosen a bright green meadow full of flowers or rainbow-filled clouds as her destination, but not this one. This eternal winter was all she'd ever known, so it is here that she'll weave her ideas of paradise._

_She bent down and gathered snow in her mitten-covered hands, packing the shredded ice as tightly as possible into a sphere, and chased after a penguin that mewed instead of squawking, and fur in the place of feathers. She hurled the snowball at it, but it scurried away quickly, and she went down in fits of giggles, rolling on the ground and caught up in her own joy._

_Suddenly, she saw that no longer was she on the white blanketed place that was her home, but on something auburn and coarse, and when she tried to pack it into a ball it fell apart and left dirt on her mittens. At this, she began to cry, realize that not all things could be like snow, so simple, so delicate, so easily shaped into whatever she desired._

"_Why're you crying?"_

_She looked up, and saw a boy maybe a tad older than her, wearing a red tunic and black pants, with dark hair and golden eyes. On any other occasion she would have stood up and wiped her tears away, but now she only pointed to the crumbling mass in her hands and said, "It's not snow."_

_The boy snorted in amusement, and a grin broke out on his face as he suppressed his chuckles. "Of course it's not snow! It's soil!" He rolled his eyes as if the knowledge made him much smarter than her. She pouted and got up, pushing him as hard as she could and though he was taller than she was, the surprise made him fall down with a bewildered expression._

"_You're a big meanie! And I miss my snow! Where'd you put it?"_

"_Hey, why are you asking ME questions! You're the one who's in my ter-ri-tory." He spoke the word warily, as if unsure how to pronounce it. "See?" He pointed to the surroundings, where autumn trees were shedding leaves endlessly, with a pink and orange sky that seemed forever trapped in sunset._

"_You must've wandered around a bit…" He explained, but she wasn't buying it, huffily putting her hands on her waist._

"_I'm a big girl now, and I don't get lost! You MUST'VE taken my snow!"_

"_I didn't steal it, if that's what you're saying!" He answered indignantly as picked himself up and brushed his tunic off. "My Unca Iroh says that stealing isn't honor-a-ble, and firebenders should always be honor-a-ble."_

_She gasped in delight, forgetting the argument earlier. "You're a firebender? Really? I've never seen one before! Can you do tricks?"_

_He scoffed, crossing his arms. "I'm not a circus seal, you know. I'm gonna grow up big and strong like my father, so I can fight in the war and become a great soldier!"_

"_Why'd you wanna fight? My mama says that fighting isn't nice."_

_His eyes narrowed, but softened afterwards. "Your… mama?" He turned away. _

"_Hey, what's wrong?" She poked his shoulder. "Are you okay?"_

_She heard him sniffle. "Yeah, it's just… I don't have a mama. Not anymore."_

"_Oh, I'm so sorry!" She deftly wrapped her arms around his middle, but he scowled._

"_Eew! Stop hugging me! You're a girl and you're a'gonna give me cooties!" _

_She stepped back, somewhat hurt. He saw this, and added, "But you… seem like a pretty neat girl to me."_

_At that, she smiled and she grabbed his wrist. "Come on, you gotta help me find my snow! And after that, you can come and meet my mama!"_

"Katara, wake up now, baby…" came the gentle coaxing of her mother. The daylight shone in between the cracks of the shelter, making her squint.

"Mama?" Said her tiny voice, and as her mother materialized, she was welcomed with an embrace.

"Good morning, Katara. Sokka's already up and awake, you should be too…"

"Mama! I'm gonna intwo… intodwuce…"

"Introduce?" Her mother supplied, raising her eyebrows.

"Yeah, that!" She piped, annoyed by her lisp. "I'm gonna entorduce you to my firebender friend!" She scanned the room for him. "He was so cool and… and… where'd he go? Did he leave?"

Her mother laughed. "You must have been dreaming, silly." She touched Katara's nose with her fingertip. "But I can tell he was nice too. Can you say hello to him for me next time you see him?"

"Okay." Katara seemed to be deep in thought. "A dream. Huh. He seemed so real to me…"

"Well, they do that a lot. Now, Gran-gran's out flavoring the fish for lunch later, if you want to watch, and your breakfast is outside. Come on." She extended a slender hand. Katara took it, but it seemed she was still stuck in the reverie where she'd met the firebender.

**_If that dog named Rover won't bark  
Mama's gonna buy you a horse and cart  
If that Horse and Cart fall down,  
Then you'll be the sweetest little baby in town…_**

**-**

**A/N: **The rest of this fic is already done, but I want to receive some feedback before I post the next chapter. Until then, please

_**REVIEW!**_

By the way, to anyone who's ever seen Rashaka's 'Guide Me Home,' you might come to realize some similarities with this fic, but I swear you all that I had this idea even before I read that. That's all.


	2. Name

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender or the song 'Name' by the Good Goo dolls.

**A/N: **Updating. Just to clear it up, in the last chapter Katara-four, Zuko-six. Now, after a two year interval as with all the other upcoming chapters, Katara-six, Zuko-eight. Kinda bored right now. Enjoy.

-

_**And scars are souvenirs**_

_**You never lose**_

_**The past is never far**_

_**Did you lose yourself?**_

_**Somewhere out there**_

_**Did you get to be a star?**_

_**And don't it make you sad**_

_**To know that life**_

_**Is more than who we are…**_

"Gran-gran! Look what I made!"

Katara ran into her grandmother's tent, seeing the plump elderly woman sewing a pattern on a big piece of cloth. She looked up from her patchwork, the corners of her eyes crinkling as she smiled.

"What is it, Katara?"

"See this!" She proudly held up a chain of shiroi crystals, one of the only kinds of flowers that could grow in the cold climate of the Pole. They were striking little blossoms with small, fragile petals that shimmered when the light shone on it, almost translucent, hence being called crystals.

"Why, that's beautiful, Katara! Will you make one for me?" Gran-gran asked, eyes twinkling.

Katara brightened, her six-year-old's innocence emancipated by it. "Can I make them here? I'll just go back outside to get more!" She didn't really give her time to respond as she ran back through the flaps of the tent.

Minutes later, she returned, flushed and breathless. Gran-gran patted the space beside her.

"Sit over here, Katara. We can work together; I'll sew, while you make crystal chains. Alright?"

"Yup!" She piped as she began threading a blue-green stem through the middle of another flower. They worked silently, and soon after Katara finished making a chain for Gran-gran, she was called back by her father to go home.

"How was your stay at Gran-gran's?" Her father inquired. Her mother had been visiting a friend of hers tonight, so it was her father's job to put her to bed.

"It was great. I made her a crystal chain!"

"That sounds nice, Katara. Will you make one for me tomorrow?"

"Sure! And I'll also make one for Aunt Fae and Uncle Dred, and cousin Jericho, and my best friends Salene and Nevasa, and…" She continued to recite all her acquaintances as she became drowsier, and her father's beard tickled her forehead as he gave her a goodnight kiss.

_She was still making flower chains in dreamland, and a while later she already had a bracelet, a necklace, and started on a tiara._

"_Hey, what're you doing?"_

_She caught a glimpse of the firebender, whose dreams intertwined with hers whenever she had one. They had been friends ever since that first meeting, though they didn't really know each other's names. Anyway, in a place like this, identities didn't really matter._

_He sat beside her. _

"_I'm making a crystal chain." She said without looking at him._

"_What's that?"_

_That caught her attention as she gaped at him disbelievingly. "You're telling me you've never seen a shiroi crystal before?"_

_He seemed to be scrutinizing what she held in her hands, then wrinkled his nose. "It smells weird. Like flowers and herbs."_

"_It is a flower, dummy!" She giggled._

"_Then I don't like it. Flowers are for girls."_

_She frowned. "Papa asked me to make him a chain earlier, so it must be okay for boys too!"_

_He looked skeptical. "Really?"_

"_Yeah! I'll show you!"_

_Her fingers were already nimble and deft as she endlessly threaded one flower after another, but his hands were clumsier, and she cackled at his attempts to complete even one ring of blossoms._

"_Don't laugh!" He accused. "It's not funny!"_

"_Fine, fine." She regained her composure. "Here, you can have mine."_

_With that, she gingerly placed the crown on his head, beaming tenderly at him._

_He incredulously touched the petals that adorned his hair._

"_Flowers? On me? But… I'll look like a girl! And I'm a boy, in case you haven't noticed…"_

"_Well, you know what my Gran-gran said?"_

"_No, what did she say?"_

_She beckoned him closer with a finger, then murmured, "The really cute boys look cute as girls."_

"_Seriously?"_

"_Yup."_

_His face twisted into a mischievous grin. "Well, I don't buy it! Liar, lair, pants on fire!"_

"_It's true!"_

"_Oh yeah?"_

"_Yeah!"_

"_Prove it!"_

"_How?"_

"_Tell me I'm cute!"_

_She wrinkled her nose in distaste. "But we're still children! I can't marry you yet!" She threw up her hands in frustration._

"_Why do I have to marry you?" He seemed clueless._

"_Because if I tell you you're cute, that means I like you. And if I like you, and you like me, then we'd be ENGAGED!"_

"_It doesn't work that way… doesn't it?"_

"_But my Gran-gran said…"_

"_Do you actually listen to everything your Gran-gran says?"_

"_Well, kinda. She is Gran-gran, and she's old and wrinkly, and that means she knows everything."_

"_Well, my Uncle Iroh says somethin' different."_

"_Like what?"_

"_Well, in my country, we have arranged marriages."_

"_What's that?"_

"_I'm not really sure, but it's like you get engaged when you're not even born yet. Uncle says I'm betrothed to someone already, so I can't marry you."_

"_Really? Is she pretty?"_

"_I don't know. I haven't met her yet."_

"_But that's awful! You can't marry someone who's not your one true love!"_

"_Well, I can't really do anything about it."_

"_Oh. That's too bad."_

"_Why?"_

"'_Cause, if we were in my country, we could get married someday…"_

"_But you said you had to like me and I had to like you first before we get engaged!"_

"_Well…" She twirled her short brown hair between her fingers._

_His smile became teasing. "You like me!"_

"_Do not!"_

"_It's okay, you can admit it, 'cause…_

"_I like you too."_

_**But if you could hide beside me**_

_**Maybe for a while**_

_**And I won't tell**_

_**No one your name**_

_**And I won't tell them**_

_**Your name…**_

-

**A/N:** Please review. I might not update if you don't. Once again,

REVIEW!


	3. At the Beginning

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender or the song 'At the Beginning' from the Anastasia OST.

**A/N:** I'm updating because of the wonderful amount of reviews I got in only a day. Thanks to everyone! For this chapter, Katara-eight, Zuko-ten.

-

**_Life is a road  
And I want to keep going  
Love is a river  
I wanna keep flowing  
Life is a road  
Now and forever  
Wonderful journey…_**

"Sokka! Sokka, give her back! I'm gonna tell Mama!" An eight-year-old Katara shrieked as her horrible brother ran ahead in circles in the settlement, taking her favorite doll with her.

"You'd have to catch me first!" Sokka snickered as he sped up, looking back.

"Sokka! Give Lena back! You're scaring her!" Katara's voice cracked as her short legs began to tire.

"Well, Lena says she doesn't want to come back! You dress her up in too many frilly dresses and-- OOF!" Sokka had tripped over a bundle of clothes that lay around, and as he stumbled on the ground, the doll flew out of his hands, high in the air, and started to plummet downwards…

…right on someone's campfire, but there was no one tending to it.

"LENA!" She screeched as she struggled to go faster, even though she was exhausted. Sokka just stared as the flares licked at Lena's sealskin body. Katara was staggering by then, but she finally reached the fire. Lena was stuck under the large pot, which contained the still-boiling soup, and she could only watch helplessly as Lena slowly burned away.

Fortunately, the owner of the cooking dinner arrived, an aunt of theirs, and upon seeing the crying Katara pointing underneath the rusty pot, quickly put out the fire and set it aside. Katara's fingers fumbled as she took what was left of her precious rag doll from the smoking wood.

The aunt didn't fail to report Sokka to his parents, and while their father reprimanded him outside, their mother tried to ease the sobbing Katara inside the tent.

"I hate Sokka… he's the worst brother in the world."

"Now, dear, don't say that…"

"Salene's big brother always takes her on his hunting trips, and Nevasa's gives her extra helpings of seasoned blubber, and what does mine do? He destroys Lena! I hate Sokka! He's the worst brother in the world!"

By now her mother had a curt look on her face, her lips pressed into a line and slender eyebrows almost meeting.

"Katara, I'm sure Gran-gran will make you a new doll, and Sokka will be duly punished because of what he did. But you had no right to say those bad things about him. That'll make you just as mean as him, don't you think?"

Katara pouted and crossed her arms, but muttered, "I guess so."

That made her mother smile. "That's my girl. Now, go to sleep. Tomorrow I'll show you how to make a quilt. How does that sound?"

"Okay."

"Good night, Katara."

"Good night, Mama," as drowsiness overcame her being.

_As she fell asleep, there were mumblings left on her lips. She sat, grumpy, arms and legs crossed, glaring at nothing._

"_Who put a bee in your underwear?"_

"_I'm not in the mood. I hate Sokka."_

"_Oh. Well, I hate Azula."_

"_Your…sister, right?"_

"_Yeah." He plopped down on the dirt next to her._

"_Why's that?"_

"_Well, she's younger than me, but she's better at EVERYTHING!" He exclaimed in exasperation._

"_How can she beat you at everything? That's impossible."_

"_Not for Azula it isn't." When she didn't speak, he continued. "She never fails to pick on me, even though I'm older than her, but no one listens! The teachers like her better, and even the servants and citizens adore her. Father says she's a genius among geniuses, a prodigy (whatever that means) and that's she's born lucky, while I'm lucky to be born! Can you believe it?_

"_The only people who paid attention to me was my mama, and Uncle Iroh, but mama's been gone for a long time so… yeah, things couldn't get any worse."_

_She pondered this for a moment. "Yup, so they just gotta get better."_

"_You kinda have a point. It's a good one too."_

"_Thanks."_

"_No, I'm thanking you. I feel sorta better now."_

"_Oh. That's good." She seemed distracted. _

"_So, um, your brother. What did he do?"_

_She turned to him tearfully. _

"_HETOOKMYDOLLLENAANDHERANAWAYANDITRIEDTOCATCHHIMBUTHEDROPPEDLENAINTHEFIREANDSHEGOTBURNTANDI'MNEVERGONNASEEHERAGAIN!" The words came out in such a rush he only looked at for an instant, stunned._

_He patted her hand to calm her down. "Sounds like he's not much of a brother, huh?"_

"_Yeah, 'cept he's not actually that. More of a really big pain in the butt."_

"_Well, if I meet him, I can pummel him for you." He winked. "I'm ten, and he's only nine. Plus," Suddenly, a spark of flame ignited on his fingertip. "I can do this."_

"_Wow! I didn't know you could do that!" Katara exclaimed. "I'm a waterbender, but no one's really been teaching me so I couldn't do something like that!"_

_He smirked at her. "Isn't it cool? My Uncle's been teaching me how to firebend for a while now. I'm not as good as Azula is, but he says I'm catching up real fast."_

"_Ooh, what else can you do?"_

"_Well, um, I'm not really very good at it yet…"_

"_Come on, you must be able to do SOMETHING."_

"_Okay, I'll try."_

_He stood up and set a battle pose, executing a complicated spinning kick then making bursts of fire erupt in his fist. Katara watched, amazed and transfixed. _

_He hurled the fireballs to the air and did an elaborate body flip, kicking them just in time as they fell to the earth and making them go to a nearby bush in the forever-fall phase. The bush promptly caught fire that was extinguished just as quickly. It was their own Nirvana, after all, and they could do whatever they please._

_He displayed quite a show, which sometimes made her mouth drop in awe, or clap her hands excitedly, or merely gaze at him wonderingly and admiringly._

_When he finished, his face was red and he panted as sweat trickled from his brow, and he sat beside her yet again._

"_What do you think? I know I won't be as great as Azula, but…"_

"_You know, you should stop rambling about Azula. It's making both of us upset. And besides…" She handed him a kerchief from her pocket to wipe his sweat with._

"…_I bet she'll never be as nice as you are, and that's pretty much all that matters, doesn't it?"_

**_I'll be there  
When the world stops turning  
I'll be there  
When the storm is through  
In the end I wanna be standing  
At the beginning with you…  
_**

**-**

**A/N: **Btw, I just wanna mention that I have never watched Toph, Jun, Yue, Song, Mai, Azula, Ty Lee, etc. and every other new character in action. Though I'm glad they provided an onslaught of girls because face it, before, Katara was like the ATLA fanfic whore because of all the people they pair her up with. Anyway, just wanna clear that up.

So, yeah, to see the next chapter, you have to

_**REVIEW!**_


	4. These Days

**Disclaimer: ** I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender or the song 'These Days' from the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants OST.

**A/N: **Thanks for the reviews, guys. I really, really appreciate it.  Btw, Katara-10, Zuko-12. This is a maybe-AU because… well, you'll see.

**-**

_**There's four roads to anywhere  
Four ways to everything  
We were unbreakable  
We spoke our destiny  
Let's take a moment out  
Go where we never go  
Let's make a new world now…**_

The Southern Water Tribe had never been one of the most populated settlements, but on this day the number of people that lined up were innumerable. Many were in dried animal skins that were tainted with dark dye, while some didn't even bother and just went along in their normal clothing.

Katara was dressed in black sealskin, her favorite kind, because it was soft and comfortable and not itchy at all. She held a bundle of shiroi crystals in her hand, eyes averted to the ground. They had been red and puffy from crying when the news had come, but now they were just dry and hard, looking through things but seeing nothing.

"Katara…" Gran-gran looked at her, grief written on every wrinkle on her aged face. "It's starting."

She nodded and wordlessly followed Gran-gran through the crowd, where they, along with her father and Sokka, stood with other families on the front. The ceremony proceeded; at some point her father performed a ritual while Sokka squeezed her shoulder and Gran-gran wept. But Katara wasn't listening, merely clutching onto the bunch of crystals in her fingers until the stems became crooked. When the time came, Sokka clasped her temporarily before she went forward and placed the shiroi crystals on the casket, fashioned from ice, the same time other children did so on other caskets. Through the hazy fog of the ice her mother lay still, hands on her chest and eyes peacefully closed (never to open again); the very image of serenity.

At that, her breath hitched in her throat. She planned to utter a last farewell, but it wasn't happening. She dropped to her knees, hands pressed against the cold, cold ice (Mama felt like this the last time they touched). Gran-gran had to take her in her arms and cuddle her, just like when she was only a baby, as she cried and cried and cried, while her father pushed the hoarfrost coffin unto the freezing ocean, where it wafted farther with the others. A watery mausoleum.

She was vaguely aware of her father carrying her home and tucking her into the covers after the tribal burial, and the final conscious thought she had before she drifted into slumber was her father's pained expression, not looking at her eyes, for they were blue, too blue, so blue, just like Mama's eyes. She dreamed; something she hadn't done since the calamity struck her fragile life.

"_What's wrong?" His tone was sympathetic as he knelt down in front of her hunched frame, sobbing silently in her palms._

_She didn't bother to respond. Instead of being irked, for he was used to this, he merely drew her into an embrace, and she broke down in the strange warmth of his arms._

_For what seemed like a brief eternity, they sat like that, him hugging her while she wetted his tunic with her tears. Suddenly, upon remembering something, she wildly pushed him away, then scampered backwards, putting as much distance between them as possible. His face was a mask of confusion and hurt._

"_What did I do?"_

_She pointed to him, laying blame, mouth set in a mad 'o,' eyes reproachful._

_She had been playing with Nevasa and Salene when pandemonium took place, and people were running amok and shouting and there was blazing heat. Nevasa's mother took the three of them and hid in a corner, praying to go unnoticed. After hours of huddling together, they emerged and she immediately ran home, only to find it burned down and still smoking. Mama was on the ground beside the remains of their tent, limbs spread-eagled and a dagger sticking up from her stomach, her blood staining the snow where she was. It was a sight no child of ten (or any other age) should ever see…Everything was still with her in vivid detail: Gran-gran explaining everything to her and Sokka and suppressing tears herself (Fire Nation siege… soldiers wanted refuge, being refused… cruelty), the other women in the tribe preparing the bodies for burial, Mama's blank blue eyes as she stared, dead, into space…_

"_It was you! Your people did this! The Fire Nation killed my Mama!" She screamed, streams still flowing from her eyes. "It's all your fault!"_

_The agony didn't leave his face. "But, I didn't…"_

"_You firebenders are the worst people on the planet! You only care about yourselves! You don't even think when you kill, about the people you kill, about the people they'll leave behind…"_

"_Please, I…"_

"_No, no! You don't understand! You don't know anything!" Her words were barely understandable, stifled by her lamenting._

"_You don't know what it feels like!" He was shocked; then the realization dawned on her. "My Mama's gone, just like… just like…"_

"_Mine." He finished, still reaching out for her. He cupped his hands on the balls of her shoulders and made her look straight at him._

"_Whatever you're going through, I know. Please remember that. Please. Will you do that for me?" _

_She only cried more, and he pressed her to him again and rubbed her back evenly, to soothe. Finally the cries were reduced to sniveling._

"_Are you better?" He whispered, scared that she might lash out at him again._

"_Yes."_

_They stayed mute for a while, then he went behind her and began to comb her hair with his fingers, undoing the knots she hadn't bothered to untangle herself in the events of the past days. Then he pulled at it firmly, but not too tightly, and unhurriedly braided the russet locks, which were silken beneath his touch._

_When he finished, she fingered the plaits of the braid, and asked quietly, "How did you know how to braid hair? The boys in the Water Tribe don't even know how to fix their own." Without a trace of humor in her voice._

"_My… mother taught me. I spent a lot of time with her before she… left." He answered just as quietly. _

_Then the conversation abruptly took on a new topic. "I've always wondered why our dreams overlap like this."_

_This was something they had both been marveling about since the idea crossed their minds, but none ever said it aloud. Until now._

"_Now, I think I know."_

_She took his face in her hands, palms applying soft pressure to his cheeks. "We've been brought together by destiny," she spoke with wisdom far beyond her years. "Fate knew this would happen, so she gave us each other, because even if the people in our lives come and go, we'll always have us._

"_As long as we both keep dreaming, we'll have each other to get us through times… times like these." His fingers gripped her wrists in support as hot tears fell from her eyes yet again._

"_So promise me…" She swallowed nervously, tone threatening to break. "Promise me you'll never stop believing, that you'll always keep on dreaming, so we'll be together… whatever happens. Will you promise me that?"_

_Her cerulean eyes were just like his amber ones now, the eyes of a tragedy. "I'll always be here. I promise."_

_She released a breath she didn't know she'd been holding. "Thank you. Thankyouthankyouthankyou."_

_Her tears were more silent this time, and as they held each other, her head to his chest, she felt moisture on her neck and his breaths coming in short stops. He was crying too._

_**Where we can wear each other for a while  
I'll lend you my tears if I could borrow your smile  
We'll get through tomorrow somehow today  
Happy After  
Once upon these days…  
**_

**-**

**A/N: ** I hope it wasn't too OOC. And it's a maybe-AU because I don't really know what Katara's age was when her mother died. Anyway, yeah, I hope it wasn't too bad. There's one more chapter coming up, and then an epilogue. But if you wanna see those, you gotta

**_REVIEW! see. _**

_**u'aybe-AU because...t. eling Pants OST.**_


	5. Dance, Dance

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender or 'Dance, Dance' by Fallout Boy. I highly recommend their album 'From Under the Cork Tree.'

**A/N: **Due to the overwhelming response to the previous chapter, I've decided to post this early. Thanks so much to everyone! Btw, Katara-12, Zuko-14. Still a maybe-AU, bit of OOC, I guess. Yes, it means exactly that.

-

**_I'm two quarters and a heart down  
And I don't want to forget how your voice sounds  
These words are all I have so I write them  
You need them just to get by…  
_**

"…something's happened in the capital, with the royal family, I think, so it's the best time to launch an attack." Her father elaborated as he helped Gran-gran pack supplies for the men during their journey.

"But why can't I come?" Sokka whined. "I've been training with Uncle Dred and Jericho to be a warrior! I want to fight too!"

"Sokka…" their father gave him a stern look. "You're too young, simply put."

"But Maging and Basta are coming too! And they're my age!" He protested.

"Maging is nine months older than you, and Basta's fourteen, the legal age for battle. If you were closer to that age, like Maging is, _maybe_ I'll let you come along. But even if you were…

"There's a very small possibility I'm taking you with me."

"Why?"

"Sokka…" he put a hand on his 13-year-old son's shoulder. "Listen carefully to me. You and Katara are all I have left, and I'm not even going to risk losing you two. You're going to be the eldest male around now, so I'm expecting you to be act like a mature adult and be responsible. You have to take care of the tribe, Sokka. You have to grow up and be a man. Will you do that, son?"

"Fine," Sokka grumbled.

"Will you get me a new ribbon?" Katara asked impassively, after watching the argument between her father and Sokka without noise.

Her father sighed. "Katara…"

"Yes?"

"These are perilous times right now. Everything we're doing is for survival, but…" He halted in mid-speech upon seeing those sapphire eyes well treacherously with tears (albeit crocodile ones). Where had he seen them before? He rubbed across his face with a hand.

"Okay, I'll try to get that ribbon for you…" Never mind telling her that he might take years to be away from them.

"Will you buy a red one, Baba?"

"A red one? How so?" Never mind to say that he might die in the war.

"Well, aren't you going to the Fire Nation?" Said without contempt. "I heard from Nevasa that red, black and gold are the only colors they have there, and I like red better than the other two."

(Black for smoke and darkness, gold for wealth and greed, red for blood and death…)

"Okay. I'll look for a red ribbon. Sokka? You want anything?"

"A boomerang. The ones I carve are sloppy, and I need to copy the designs."

"Alright then. A ribbon for Katara and a boomerang for Sokka." He leaned in to kiss their foreheads. Never mind that this might be the last time he'll do this.

"So long, my dears. I love you." An embrace from Gran-gran. He opened the flap of the tent to the raging blizzard outside, packages hanging from his back.

"Don't wait up for me." A wink. Never mind that he might never be coming back.

_Later…_

_As she slipped into dreamland that fateful night, the surroundings weren't the eternal autumn she had gotten used to. It was raining heavily, the drops slapping unto her hard and blurring what was right in front of her. The fall trees were being uprooted by the fierce gales, and the sky was a miasma of crimson and silver, with the occasional swift flashes of lightning, followed by roaring thunder._

'_What's going on?' She thought as she hugged herself, drenched and cold, taking bold steps forward to find the firebender._

"_Where are you?" Her voice didn't stand a chance against the chorus of the storm. Then, amidst the bellows of the tempest, she heard him, unmistakably him. She darted toward the sound, holding on to it for endurance in the merciless squall._

_He was down on his hands and knees, one hand covering his face, his body racked with angry sobs._

"_A fool… an accident, failure…" Was all she could make out. She rushed to him and stooped to his level, a hand on his back. At the feel of the contact he shoved her backwards, already on his feet, a hand still at the left part of his face. She could've sworn the skin underneath was blackened…_

"_Leave!" He barked, livid, with the rain pouring down on both of them. "Just… go away!"_

"_I don't…"_

"_Can't you see? I'm done with all this! It's over!" Thunder boomed, loud and apparent._

"_Why is--?" She was cut off again. _

"_My throne, my honor, my country… I've lost them all!" The rain was as furious as his voice, and that was all she heard when he opened his mouth._

"_Please, let me…"_

_He stared down at her, glowering all the way. "You want to see?" Mocking now. "Don't you value your freedom at all?"_

_With that, he withdrew his hand, and a horrified gasp slipped from her lips. Thunder rumbled, and lightning illuminated his misshapen features. Where there was once smooth, porcelain skin was a large scorched mark, black as soot, where blood and pus oozed from the damaged tissue. Once-kind hazel eyes glared with a vicious hatred and fury, though she doubted it was caused, nor directed, only at her._

_Harsh wind whipped her hair around her face. "What happ--?"_

"_What happened? I'll tell you what happened!" He grabbed her shoulders, shaking her, though not only physically._

"_I'll tell you a story, you stupid girl! There was once a little boy who believed in dreams and hope and justice, and one day, he made a mistake! HE SPOKE OUT OF TURN!" He howled the sentence in her face. His expression rivaled the ones of demons Gran-gran fabricated in midnight tales, and his golden eyes were ablaze with something so dark it made her recoil in fear. That, combined with the revolting burn that extended to his left ear and nearly closed one eye, made him more terrifying than anything she'd ever seen before. _

"_He only had his nation's best interest at heart! And where does that get him? HE WAS BANISHED, LIKE A STREET RAT!"_

_She couldn't understand, though it wasn't really her fault. "Please, I can…"_

"_What? Help me?" Where those tears, or just the rain? "I am beyond help. The only thing that can redeem me is that damned Avatar…" The last word was said so lowly she couldn't hear it._

"_But, no matter…" He let go of her and began to walk away, just as the storm began to settle. "At the very least, I now know that dreaming is for fools…"_

"_Wait…!" She ran to catch up. "Does this mean…?"_

_He whirled around, and only now did she notice that he was far bigger than her now, and when he grasped her wrists she felt the heat of the fire in his blood, through his veins (dangerous)…_

"_Yes, it means exactly that."_

"_But, you said…" her eyes hurt from too much crying, too much crying…_

"_I said what? That I'll stay, forever? Well, let me tell you something else: FOREVER ISN'T REAL!"_

_She couldn't bear to meet his gaze. "You promised that…"_

"_Promises are for the weak-minded."_

_He dropped her again, leaving and fading, fading…_

_And then he was gone; and then the storm subsided, leaving the destruction in its wake._

_The best part of believe is always the lie._

_**Dance, dance  
We're falling apart to half time  
Dance, dance  
And these are the lives you love to lead  
Dance, this is the way they'd look  
If they knew how misery loved me**…  
_

**-**

**A/N: **My take. Don't sue me. Epilogue coming up, but only if you

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	6. Once Upon A Dream

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender or 'Once Upon A Dream' from the Sleeping Beauty OST. Finally, the song that inspired it all.

**A/N: **A huge thank you to everyone who reviewed! The amount of feedback this story has received really overwhelmed me. Too bad this is the last chap, as I'll miss checking it's reviews and posting new installments. Anyway, moving on…

This chapter is a definite AU, and you guys will soon find out why. And Katara-14, Zuko-16. And you know what that means…

-

**_I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream  
I know you, the gleam in your eyes is so familiar a-gleam  
Yet I know it's true that visions are seldom all they seem…_**

"…_and Sokka's trying to teach the younger boys to become a warrior, but it's hard since he doesn't really know how to be one himself."_

"_Well, nothing but practice would help, wouldn't it?"_

"_I guess so. But sometimes I can't stand seeing him so frustrated. I know he's a big goofball and a jerk at times, but he's my brother and…"_

"_You finally understand what I've been telling you all that time, don't you?"_

"_Yeah. Sometimes I'd like to think I could give him a break, but it's the temper in me. It's always flaring."_

"_We never really figured out where you got that from." A laugh. A missed one. _

"_Sometimes, I really want to break down from all the pressure. It's hard to act so grown-up when I'm only fourteen, but I rarely think I have a choice. Well, I don't… don't I?"_

_A sigh. An identifiable sadness. "Think of it as an opportunity, not as a responsibility, Katara. It's… less of a burden that way."_

"_Maybe. You know, Mama, I wish you were real, and not just in my dreams." She looked down on her hands._

"_We all wish for things we don't have, dearest." Mama placed her hand on top of hers, consoling._

"_But I did have you… But you were stolen." One set of eyes narrowing, another (ruefully) amused._

"_That infamous temper again. Past is past, you'd have to release that grudge someday."_

"_But they killed you… those firebenders! Not something you can forget easily…"_

"_You don't have to forget, just forgive."_

"_I don't know if I can." _

"_You will. I know my own daughter. And, speaking of firebenders, I met that one you once told me about."_

"_Yeah, he wanders back in here sometimes. But then, he's only an illusion, transparent, like a ghost. And even then it would only be memories, and very rarely do I get to see what's become of him. Sometimes. I miss him, especially when you're not here. I never really understood…him, that night. I never even knew his name."_

"_Well, what I meant to say was, he's not well."_

"_I already knew that."_

"_His heart is bitter; he's holding onto something he couldn't let go of. He's on a mission and… you ought to be careful…"_

"_Why? He won't hurt me, even after what happened. And how could he?"_

"_I'm not supposed to tell."_

"_That's not fair."_

"_Oh, fine. Here's the secret: you'll meet him."_

"_What? While I'm awake?"_

"_A little too eager, aren't we?"_

"…"

"_Are you hiding something from your mother?"_

"_Well, I…"_

"_You've been harboring a crush on him, haven't you?"_

"_Am not!" A blush. "Well, okay, maybe I liked him a bit…" Fingers fiddling. "Okay, I liked him a lot. But… he's changed."_

"_That much is right. Things won't always be as they seem. What's about to take place would be… complicated and difficult, but it will turn out right in the end. It always does. Just hold on to your promises, and whatever emotion overtakes you, never go too far if you know it would lead to the wrong path."_

"_What do you mean?"_

"_All in due time, Katara. Now, I really think you and I should be going. The sun's rising…"_

"_But, Mama…!"_

"_I'll be back soon."_

"_Mama...!"_

"Mama…"

"Katara, wake up! There's a ship on the horizon!"

"Sokka, let me sleep…"

"Katara!"

Her eyes fluttered open, and she squinted to see Sokka hovering over her, with blue and white paint on his face.

"What?" She snapped, irritated that she'd been awoken from such an… interesting dream.

"There's a ship nearby! Gran-gran says it's a Fire Nation war craft!"

She groggily rubbed the sleep from her eyes, alarmed. Hastily, she got up and bolted from the tent, with Sokka right behind her.

A crowd had gathered near the small harbor, where a large black (ominous) vessel loomed closer. She pushed her way to the border of the multitude, and Sokka, the remaining male of age, positioned himself as the vanguard.

They watched, as if hypnotized, as the ship dropped anchor and a platform descended. A figure walked down, followed by a seemingly never-ending fleet of soldiers, all covered in armor. Some natives drew back, intimidated.

Sokka, on the other hand, was not to be daunted, and before Katara could call out a warning he'd darted forward, attacking the one on the front, the commander, presumably.

However, the boomerang hadn't even touched the figure when Sokka was, in a display of quick fire, thrown to the side like a piece of garbage. The throng cowered.

Katara's eyes widened. Where had she seen those moves before, that stance? She shook her head. Maybe from some other firebender… but then again, she'd never seen one, except maybe for…

Without Sokka, she was now directly in the path of the commander (they call him Prince), whose countenance was still slightly shadowed.

He sauntered toward the petrified tribe as if he owned the place (he just might), until he was only a few feet from her.

"Where is the Avatar?" Roared a voice that was so terribly, achingly familiar. Deeper, older, but familiar. How many times had she heard it laugh, cry, scream…?

'No…' She thought to herself. 'It can't be.'

He took bold steps nearer, and the light shone.

'It is.'

There was that face she so clearly remembered; twisted by a scowl (known so damn well), worn by anguish, but the angular features, those golden eyes (vindictive), and a crimson scar that encompassed an eye (left by a wound) was unmistakable.

The golden eyes suddenly looked at her, penetrating, searching, and for a moment she could have sworn a flicker of recognition light up in them, but then it was gone, and the mouth she had seen curve into a smirk for too many times didn't say anything that _he_ would have.

Instead, as his eyes locked with hers, he grabbed her upper arms, so fast she didn't even see it coming. The gold danced darkly, flecks of ocher filled with malignance. She felt his breath on her lips (warm, so hazardously close), and wasn't comforted. Not like this…

'Where is the boy I once knew?'

"Answer me, peasant! I know you're hiding him!"

"I…" Her voice quivered with the dam of emotions that were about to burst (too overwhelming). Here was a one last chance to uncover the truth.

"I don't know what you're talking about." 'But I do know you!'

Too late.

'…_Will you promise me that?'_

'_I'll always be here…' _

**Funny how the things we say and do find a way to come back to us.**

**Funny how we act like we don't want them.**

**Funny how we agree in the end anyway.**

Promise sealed.

**_  
But if I know you, I know what you do,  
You love me at once, the way you did once upon a dream…_**

_**FIN**_

-

**A/N: **First of all, there will be no sequel to this story. What happens next after this is simply where the series begins… and I didn't put Aang in there because 1) I forgot how the scene went, 2) It'll make things more complicated, and 3) It might interfere with the Zutara-ness. Yeah. Completely shallow and left a glaring plot hole, I know, and I know the last part's kinda BLEH, but I got lazy. I really tried to change it, but I can't, so you're left with that. So sue me. Anyway… yeah. The fic's over, and you're left with your imaginations. But before you actually leave this webpage, please grant this poor, impoverished author some happiness in her pathetic life by leaving a

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